Apparatus for handling loose material.



R. A. OGLE.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL.

' APPLIOATION FILED MAY 10, 15309.

Patented July 4, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. A. OGLE. 4

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1909.

Patented July 4 1911 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fizz/@2597",

' ajagrzaz 3 SHBBTSSHEET 3.

Patented July 4, 1911.

. jfzmivzzr r R. A. OGLBJ APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1909.

"Form it involves,

ornn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RdBERT A. OGLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LOOSE MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed ma 10, 1909.

Patented July 4, 1911. Serial No. 495,131.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it lnlown that I, ROBERT A. OGLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of illinois, haveinvented a new and useful lnun'ovement in Apparatus for Handling LooseMaterial, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates to improvement in apparatus for handling loosematerial and, more particularly, to apparatus intended for use intransferring coal, or the like, from a hopper at one level to a binabove the hopper; and my object is to providean apparatus of thecharacter referred to which shall be simple 0t COHStl'UCtlUD, durableand positive in operation, and, in general, particularly adapted toperform the functions of apparatus of this character to thebestadvantage.

Referring to the accompanying drawings--Figure l'is'a View in elevationof apparatus constructed in accordance with invention, portioh'sof theapparatus being shown in sectional*elevation to better disclose details,the view being broken to better illustrate the apparatus. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional elevation taken through the hopper andloader-mechanisn proper at one side of the hopper. Fig. 5 is a viewshowing one of the two similar loading mechanisms in front cle'vatio1'1.the po. 'tion of the loader being that reprewntcd o'l' theoneshown onthe right-hand side of Fig. l; and Fig. a View similar to l ig. 1showing"; a modification ol' the loadcr-mechunisnifand its operat. ingmeans.

I have devised my invention For use, more particularly in Ll(..\ttl'l1ft7:l from a hopper into which it is discharged,lroni cars on a tract:to lJlllr-f above the tract: l roin which it in v be removed)(fllOtlllftlll t or I otherwise, as required. such as for ihstancc toload tenders oi locomotives, and,in its 'n' etcrred l generally stated,the use (it two loader-incchanisnis adapted to alternately dischargematerial received from the homiers into hoistirig-buckets operating inopposite directions to elevate the material in predetermined amounts tothe bins,

thougjhit will be urnlcrstood, as hereinafter set forth, that certainfeatures otthe invention are not limited in their use to apparatusemploying a plurality of buckets.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, a pair of pitsusually employed in apparatus of this kirl is represented at 5,

these pits being located. underground, and

adjacent side walls thereof being illustrated at 6. Located above andbetween these pits is a hopper 7, which is usually placed undergroundand into which loaded with the material to be hoisted, discharge. Thebottom of the pit 7 is formed of two downwardly converging sections 10and two upwardly converging sections 11. The lower end-portions of thesections 10 are provided with openings 11 which form discharge-openingsat opposite sides of the hopper for the material periodically withdrawntherefrom in a manner hereinafter described, these dischargdopeningspreferably being flanked by plates 12 having curved outer edges asrepresei'ited at 13. Located below each of the discharge-openings 11 isan inclined chute 14. formed of a bottom-plate 15, having a. curvedsection 16 at its upper end which is connected with the lower edge ofthe adjacent section 11 of the hopper 7, the bottom plate beingsupported upon a series oi timbers 17 connected with the wall (3 attheir upper ends and SUPPOl'lZCd on timbers 18 toward their lower ends,this plate being preferably limltcd to these timbers as indicated atlt); side-members 20 spaced apart a distance slightly greater than thewidth of the discharge openings 11 and extending upwardly to within ashort distance ot the lower edge of the adjacent section ll; and acurved front-plate 21 carried by the walls 90 and spanning the spacebetween them, the forward portions of the plates 20 terminatinginextensions 22, which latter form. with the lo\.er end-portion ot theplate 1.5, the open discharge-end ot the chute. ,l ach of theopen-topped chutes 14 thus provided at opposite sides of the hop per 7below the outlets 11 thereof, partially houses a measuring receptacle23. which is cylindrical in form as represented, and formed (it endsfld'ot'disk-shape and a shell, or wall, 25, the upper half of the shellbeing cut away. as clearly represented in Fig. 2. The receptacles thusprovided are pivotally the cars (not shown) insuring the. desiredrigidity of the receptacles, Iprefer tobrace each pair of heads by a rod29 connected at its opposite ends with its respective heads, asillustrated. Inthe operation of the apparatus, the receptacles 23 serve,at their open upper sides, to receive the material from the hopper 7 andat the proper time be rotated u on their journals to cause their open sies to be moved into registration with the outlet-ends of the chutes 14for effecting the discharge of their contents into a receptaclehereinafter described, the curved walls 25 of the receptacles, when thusoperated, servingto be moved across the outlets 11*, and thus preventflow of material from the bin through these. discharge-openings whilethe receptacles are discharging. A pair of holstlng buckets forperiodically recelvlng material from" the bin 7 through the medium ofthe receptacles 23, are represented at 30 and 31 as operating in guides32 and 33,

which extend upwardly from the bottoms of the pits 5. It will beunderstood that these.

guides rise sutlieiently far to. permit the buckets to be raisedlto aheight enabling them to be discharged into a receptacle, or

bin, (not shown), which may be located as far above the hopper 7 as isfound desirable. In the construction illustrated, thebuckets 30 and 31are intended to be operated si nulf taneously, but in oppositdirections, and, in accordance with an arrangement'well known 'lI1 theart, are so-associa'red with hoisting mechanism (notshown) of anydesired construction that when one of the buckets is at the bottom ofthe pit, the other is at the top of its respective guide. Fig. 1. isintended to represent the bucket 31 at the height of its upward travel,in which position, in practice it would be raised sufliciently far topermit it to be dumpedinto the bin. The receptacles 23 are designed tobe automatically operated by the movements of the buckets, and to effectthis, in the preferred construction, I fix on the stub-shafts 26 beyond. the heads 24: of the receptacles 23, sheaves 3ft and 35, aboutwhich sheaves 3 k a cable 36 is wound, this cable being connected at itsopposite ends to an end of each of two cross-bars 37 normally restingagainst pairs of upright guides 38 paralleling the guides 32 and 33 toextendinto the path of downward movement of the buckets 31 and 32, thiscable also extending over idlerpulleys 39 which may be located at anyconvenient point'in the apparatus. The sheaves 35 have cables 10partially wound upon them and fixedly secured thereto, the free;

which the cable 36 connects.

end of the cables 10 being connected with the ends of the rods 37opposite to those at The cable 36 is initially wound upon the sheaves 34in a position to cause the cross-bar 37 cotiperating with the bucket 31to. be in raised position, while the cross-bar 37 coiiperating with thebucket 30 is in its lowermost position, and the receptacle 23cooperating with the bucket 31 tobe in normal filling position, and thereceptacle 23 cotiperating with the bucket 30 to be in dischargingposition, all

as represented in Fig. 1.

Assuming the parts of the apparatus to be in the relative positionsillustrated in Fig. 1, operation of the hoistinganechanism hereinbeforereferred to for operating the buckets will cause the bucket 30 to ascendand the bucket 31 to descend. Lowering of the bucket 31 causes it tobear down against the bar 37 below it, with the result of drawing downthe cable 36, thereby turning the receptacle 23, coiiperating with thebucket 31, upon its journals, the movement of the bucket 31 downwardwhile in engagement with its cross-bar 37 being sufficiently great tocause the receptacle 23 to be rotated through an arc of about 120degrees, thereby causing its open side to register with the cotiperatingoutlet 22 of the respective chute 14, and

it being understood, as hereinbefore described, that a portion ofthecurved wall 35 of the receptacle 23 by reason of the foregoing operationis carried into registration with the outletll of the bin 7 for cuttingoff the discharge of material therethrough while the receptacle isdischarging. -The apron 41, which is formed of a bottom-plate 12 andside-plates4c3 secured thereto and disposed beyond the chute sides 20,is counter-weighted as represented at 44, and in its normal positionextends a'crossthe lower' open end of the chute l t, as represented inFig. 1, for maintaining the outlet 22 of the chute closed. As soonascoal begins to flow from the receptacle 23-into the portion 22 of thechute 14, the force of the coal exerted against the bottom 41-2 of theapron causes the latter to be turned,v on it s' hinge to the positionillustrated of the one 'shown on the lefthand side of Fig. 1, itbeing-understood that the parts of the apparatus are so arranged asillustrated as not-to cause any coal to flow from the receptacle 23against the chute 41 until the bucket,ewith which it cooperates, hastraveled sufliciently far into thepit to extend below the outer end ofthe apron, and thusall the coal flowingfrom the chute 14: isdischargedinto the bucket cooperating therewith. Thus, hen' thereceptacle 23 is turned todischa'rg pcsition by lowering of the bucket31 as described, the parts of the loadingmechanism and chute-devicecoiipcratii'ig with the bucket 31 will assume the position representedin Fig. 1 or the corresponding apparatus operating in conjunction withthe bucket 30. As soon as the bucket 31 is filled, thehoistingll'lCCllillllSln is reversed and the bucket 31 rises in filledcondition and the bucket 30 descends empty. As the bucket 31 rises, itcauses the chute -11 cooperating therewith to be moved to the positionillustrated in the right-hand side of Fig. 1, the receptacle 23rcn'iaining in discharging position until the bucket 30 in its descentlowers the crossbar 3T cooperating therewith and turns the receptacle 23for discharging its contents into the bucket 30, during which movementthe receptacle 23 coo 'ierating with the. bucket 31 is turned to fillingposition as illustrated in l? 1. ceptacles 23, under th action of thebuckets 30 and 31 operating in opposite directions are caused to be:uitomatimlly operated to receive coal from the bin 7' and discharge ittl'u'ough their cooperating chutes 1 L into their respective buckets,and that the only operation performed by the buckets, in their risingmovement, with respect to the loadermechanisms, is that of throwing theaprons :l-l to closed position. The manifest advantage of thus operatingthe apparatus is that of reducing the danger of injury to it asderangement or interlocking of the loaderincc anism is avoided.

By providing the hinged aprons 41, which operate as gates for the chutesIt, and the curved sections 16 of the plates 15, any dust or smallparticles of coal which unavoidably leak from the hopper walls of itsoutlets and the curved walls 25 of the receptacles 23, when the latterare rocked upon their journals, is retained in the chutes 14 and is notdischarged therefrom, excepting through the aprons 4:1 when the bucketsare below them, and thus no dust or small particles of coal isdischarged into the pit.

As certain features of my invention are applicable to apparatus in whichbut a single loading-mcchanism is provided instead of two as illustratedof the preferred construction, I have shown such features of myinvention illustrated in connection with a single loading-mechanisinoperating automatically by the rise and descent of a bucket cooperat ngtherewith. This constructionis in all particulars the same that illustratcd of the single loading mechanism and its operating means in Figs.1 to 3, with the exception that in this modification the cables 36 and4:0.and sheaves 34: and 35 are omitted and the receptacle 23 isconnected with the apron ll through the medium of links 45,

It will thus be seen that the re 7 between the -single-clnunbcredreceptacle of one only of which is shown, ivoted toward their upper endsto the hea s 24 of the receptacle as indicated at 4:6, and at theirlower ends to the sides &3 of the chute 41 as indicated at 47, theselinks being connected with the cross-bars 37 by cables 48 and at alltimes inclining with relation to the vertical plane. By thisarrangen'ient the turning of the loader mechanism to discharg ngposition is effected by the lowering of the crossbar 3'7 under theaction of the descending bucket cooperating therewith, and its movementto filling position is effected by the arranging of its cooperatingchute to closed position when operated by the ascending bucket. It willalso be understood that where a plurality of loading-mechanisms areemployed, each may be equipped, if desired, with mechanism for turningthe receptacles to normal filling position by the ascent of itscooperating bucket.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of myinvention as embodied in an apparatus the hopper of which hasdischarge-openings in its opposed Walls for drawing the coal fromopposite sides of the hopper, it will be understood that thedischarge-opening may be on the same side of the hopper and that thereceptaclemechanisms for discharging the coal into the buckets may belocated side by side where such an arrangement is desired, with outdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

hat I claim'as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a hopperprovided with a. dischawe-opening, a pivotally mountedsinglc-chan'ibered receptacle of general cy lindrical form locatedadjacent to said discharge-opening and having a portion of itslllClOSlng wall cut away, and a chute extendincbelow the receptacle andhaving a front plate adjacent to the latter and operating to preventpremature discharge of the material from forth.

the combination of a hopper provided with a dischargc-openiiw, apivotally mounted general cylindrical form located adjacent to thediscliargecpening of the hopper, and a chute extending below thereceptacle and having a frontplate adacent 'to the latterandconforming'in shape thereto with its side walls extending upwardly onopposite sides of the receptacle and operating to prevent prematuredischarge of the material from the receptacle,t0r the mil-pose setforth.

3. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of ahopperprovided with a discharge-opening, a pi votally mounted rethereceptacle, for the purpose set 2. In apparatus of the character setforth,

.ceptacle located adjacent to the discharge- ,opening of the hopper, aninclined chute ex- .,tending below the receptacle and having its bottomwall deflected and coeperating with the bottom of the hopper fordirecting dust and fine particles escaping from the hopper between itand said receptacle, and valve- ..mechanism for controlling thedischarge clined chute extending below the rcceptac'le,

and valve-mechanism for the dischargeeend 9 of the chute extending intothe path of movementof the bucket and movable into 'closed position, byengagement with the bucket inits upward movement, for the purpose setforth. 5, Inapparatus, of the character set forth, the cornbmation of ahoisting-bucket, a hopper providedwith a discharge-opening located,.adjacent to the bucket, a pivotally mounted receptacle adjacent to thedis- 4 charge-opening ofthehopper-and located between the latter and thehoisting-bucket, an inclinedmh'ute extending below the re ceptacle,.andan apron-device pivoted to the chute for controlling the flow ofmaterial from theE chute, adapted to be swung to open position" by thedischarge of material into the-chute from said receptacle and when insuch position extendin into the path of up ward movement of the bucket,for the pur pose set forth.. V 6. In apparatus of the character setforth, the 'combination with a hoisting-bucket, of ahopper provided witha discharge-opening, a "pivotallymounted receptacle located adjacent tojthe discharge-opening of the hop per, a sheaye on the receptacle, acable conheated" with the sheave, a chute extending "below thereceptacle, and means secured ito; thecable' and extending into the pathof movement" of the bucket for'rotating the receptacleon its journals,for the purpose set forthl i, 7

7 In apparatus ofthe character set forth,

' 'n'binationof a pair of measuring rethe jc il I j cepta' l 'escooperatmg with a source of supply, hoisting-buckets coiiperating withsaid "receptacles? and operating simultaneously but in oppo'sitedirections, cables engaging with? measurin receptacles and operatively*connecting' them 1 ngether, and means connected with said cables andextending into the path of movement of-the buckets 9 operating both thereceptacles by either bucket'in its operation."

.'- '8'. In apparatus of the character set forth,

'the combination of a pair of measuring receptacles coeperating with asource of supply, hoisting-buckets codperating with said receptacles andoperating alternately in opposite directions, and means connect ng saidreceptacles together and extending into the path of movement of thebuckets for slmultaneously moving one of said receptacles to dumpingposition and the other of said receptacles to filling position, for thepurpose set forth.

9. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a hopperprovided with discharge-openings, pivotally mounted n1easuringreceptacles located adjacent to said discharge-openings,hoisting-buckets co,- operating with said receptacles and operatingalternately in opposite directions, chutes extending below saidreceptacles,sheaves on the receptacles, a cable extending about saidsheaves, and separate means in the path of downward movement of thebuckets constructed and arranged to simultaneously operatethe'receptacles, for the purpose set forth.

10. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a hopperprovided with discharge-openings, pivotally mounted measuringreceptacles located adjacent to said discharge openings,hoisting-buckets cooperating with said receptacles and operatdirections,

ing alternately in opposite chutcs extending below said receptacles,cables operatively connected with said rcccptacles, and cross-barssupported by said cables and extending into the path of down wardmovement of the buckets, said receptacles being operatively connectedtogether for actuating them simultaneously during the downward movementof either of the buckets, for the purpose set forth.

11. In apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a hopperprovided with discharge-openings, pivotally mounted measuringreceptacles located adjacent to said dischargeoponings, chutes extendingbelow "said receptacles, hoisting-buckets beyond said receptaclesoperating alternately in opposite directions, sheaves carried by saidreceptacles, idler-pulleys above said receptacles, a cable extendingabout said sheaves and over said pulleys, and means connected with theopposite ends of said cable andextending into the path of downwardmovement of the buckets for operating said receptacles simultaneously.

12. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of ahoistingbucket, a hopper located adjacent to the bucket and providedwith a discharge-opening, a pivotally mounted receptacle locatedadjacent to the discharge-opening of the hopper and intermediate thelatter and the bucket, an inclined chute extending below the receptacle,valve-mechanism for controlated by the moyement of the bucket form0vling the flow of material from the chute ing the xeceptecle fromfilling to dumping adapted to he moved to open position by position, thedischarge of material into the chute ROBERT A. OGLE. from saidreceptacle and when in such posi- In presence of tion extending intopath of the upward RALPH SOHAEFER,

movement of the bucket, and means QPQI-V' JOHN WILSON.

